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Old 31-12-16, 17:28   #1
JuditePrince12
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Default Is Survival Instincts being nerfed in SOTTR?

Something I noticed in the Tomb Raider comics is that they subtlety hinted skills to be in the next game. In the arcs before ROTTR she used molotovs, climbed trees, and threw and smashed bottles over heads. In this new arc she practices rock climbing, melee fighting, and can hold her breath underwater for two minutes. And something in particular is that she has this listening mode of some sort where if she focuses she can hear distinct features in the area around her like enemies footsteps, animals, and nature. Similar to listening mode in The Last Of Us but on a larger scale. I think this would be a great idea imo instead of Survival Instincts and more realistic instead of magically highlighting things with her brain and knowing where to go in an unfamiliar territory. If not, her RAD binoculars can return or (one of my favorite mechanics from pre alpha Tomb Raider 2013) the LOOK mode. Which zooms out on the camera whilst focusing on Lara and shows the current area in a larger scale to get a better look of how things look.
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Old 31-12-16, 18:08   #2
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I don't understand this random distaste for SI - it's completely optional for the vast majority of the game. It's even less intrusive in Rise given you can modify how much it shows you. I had it set to just show me map makers and nothing more; after that it was actually really useful.

SI isn't meant to be 'realistic' because it's not. It's a visual representation of something you cannot replicate in a game - your senses. I don't really see how taking it out and replacing it with a pair of binoculars that does exactly the same thing is any more realistic, logical or acceptable.

It's something that 'A' most games have in some form or another and 'B' that fits in with their ongoing survivor themes so I don't see it going anywhere - especially to replace it with something that does exactly the same thing. It's just illogical and would waste time and resourced.

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Old 31-12-16, 18:23   #3
JuditePrince12
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I don't understand this random distaste for SI - it's completely optional for the vast majority of the game. It's even less intrusive in Rise
SI isn't meant to be 'realistic' because it's not. It's a visual representation of something you cannot replicate in a game - your senses. I don't really see how taking it out and replacing it with a pair of binoculars that does exactly the same thing is any more realistic, logical or acceptable.

It's something that 'A' most games have in some form or another and 'B' that fits in with their ongoing survivor themes so I don't see it going anywhere
The game formula is set up to where you have to use it at times and they're not just a pair of binoculars. I'm not sure if you played Legend but they had separate modes on them to highlight objects that were designated on the binoculars. And Tomb Raider shouldn't have gone this far in the Survival Aspects. She's a Tomb Raider, not Bear Grylss. And I'd rather make the whole experience one dimensional and not a random mode where the developers reach in and hold my hand showing me where to go and everything I can interact with. Everything in Tomb Raider should be manual.
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Old 31-12-16, 18:28   #4
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I don't remember being forced to use it very many times in Rise; I never use it unless the game activates it for me so it cant have been that bad. I'm more aware of it being shoved down your throat in the reboot but that's pretty irrelevant now.

Also, I never needed to use the binoculars in Legend apart from a small look through to see what they did. I found them pointless really. Everything interactive glowed gold anyway and the entire game was so simple that I never needed to. Regardless the premise is still the same. SI and the RADs were something that helped you when you were stuck. Swapping one out for another is pointless. It would be better just to give more control over what SI shows you.
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Old 31-12-16, 19:00   #5
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And something in particular is that she has this listening mode of some sort where if she focuses she can hear distinct features in the area around her like enemies footsteps, animals, and nature. Similar to listening mode in The Last Of Us but on a larger scale.
How interesting (a) that you've spotted this potential foreshadowing in the comics / games - well done! - and (b) that TLOU listening mode may be appearing. Plus more emphasis on melee fighting.....

I'm all for turning TR towards the gameplay style of TLOU, so I don't mind this at all. But if they're going to incorporate TLOU elements, I'd like them to do it in similar way to the way that TLOU does. Slowed down... fewer resources.... crafting that has massive impact on the game styles you can play. But with Lara having a larger movement set than Joel and Ellie obviously. She needs to be able to do things they can't.
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Old 31-12-16, 19:59   #6
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How interesting (a) that you've spotted this potential foreshadowing in the comics / games - well done! - and (b) that TLOU listening mode may be appearing. Plus more emphasis on melee fighting.....

I'd like them to do it in similar way to the way that TLOU does. Slowed down... fewer resources.... crafting that has massive impact on the game styles you can play. But with Lara having a larger movement set than Joel and Ellie obviously. She needs to be able to do things they can't.
Thank You
And yes I feel that Tomb Raider really should implement more thoughtful and slower gameplay. Stealth should involve more technique and scarce resources in the environment like TLOU. Set pieces also should be toned down so they're more creative and longer and limited. I think they should involve more climbing and puzzle solving instead of just running and avoid being shot at. (Can you imagine Lara maoing her way through an Aztec Pyramid thats falling apart whilst solving a puzzle and fighting enemies. Thatd be epic ) As for things like hints, they shouldnt appear when i've already learned how to play the game. I can't stress how much I hate hand holding in games.
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Old 31-12-16, 20:43   #7
Melonie Tomb Raider
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I like Survival Instincts. For the first playthrough I prefer to not use it, but after that and I go back for 100% I use SI a lot.
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Old 31-12-16, 20:56   #8
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I think Survival Instinct is a bit of a complicated issue. On the one hand, you could make an argument for it enabling designers to create more difficult levels/puzzles without having to worry about the more mentally challenged portion of the player base getting stuck but, on the other hand, I imagine that one could easily slip into the habit of using it as a sort of design crutch where you end up designing levels or puzzles around the use of the Survival Instinct.

For example, the Red Mine in Rise had this one point where you had to shoot a rope arrow (at least I think it was a rope arrow) at some tiny object far off in the distance which was incredibly difficult to see if you didn't use Survival Instinct (which I had turned off in the menu so I never used it). That makes it seem like they only really tested that tomb with players who were using SI and then just told themselves "eh, the players who don't use SI want a challenge, trying to spot that two-pixel object in the distance is a challenge" and called it a day. (I may be mistaken, of course, but that's what it feels like in that instance and regardless of how it came about, it's a poorly designed obstacle/challenge either way.)

So yeah, I have mixed feelings. I don't have any problem whatsoever with its inclusion as an option (so long as you can turn it off) but I don't want to see the game being designed around it.

Last edited by Zebra; 31-12-16 at 20:59.
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Old 31-12-16, 21:09   #9
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The only thing that bothered me about SI is that, during my progression, there'd be new highlights added as I completed side tombs. I'm a completionist most of the time, so I can't NOT complete the side tombs (besides, they're one of the main highlights of the game for me). But it annoyed me how it'd add red highlights for traps, as well as resource highlighting (even out of SI). Otherwise I wouldn't have had a problem just leaving SI on for the one time I needed it (the bird side mission that's virtually impossible to tell apart without it). So I just ended up turning SI off completely once I got these additional abilities.

The game hand holds way too much as it is... traps should be instantaneous and hard to see, that's why they're traps... not give you a million years to react like they do in the game. The player should be punished for not being observant and careful, in my opinion. So because they slow-mo the traps, red highlights were rather pointless in my opinion.

The only time I've really found SI necessary was during Endurance mode where it was a matter of life/death to find resources as time goes on. Only then do I see it being useful. But in the main campaign it's really unnecessary. They do pretty much everything in their power to make sure you don't get lost (which sort of annoys me, too).

Anyway... IF they are hinting at a system based on sound then I fear they're just going to add it on top of SI. I don't think they'd want to risk leaving casual players lost in the game. But, hopefully they will make this addition optional as well. Mainly I just want to see options to turn off all hints including tutorials. After learning all the moves initially then there's really no reason they should keep reminding you over and over. And I especially don't want hints for nearby side tombs which are supposed to be secret areas.
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Old 11-01-17, 18:15   #10
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I like SI because I am very stupid.
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